tigeryear's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hemingway, so ungodly boring and dry, made this a difficult read. I expected more ACTION! This long-ass book took place over 4 days! Mediocrity! Anytime we were away from Robert Jordan was a respite.
I read till the end hoping and praying that we would see his death.
There wasn't even good romance! Sure, there was sex. Maybe even good sex, who knows? But Maria pretty easily left Jordan for her own safety. In a novel, a character can only SAY so much, but their actions show you their real motivations. She wanted to live. Marriage be damned. Plot be damned!
I can't believe this was recommended to me by a friend. We truly have differing tastes in what makes a good story. Historical relevancy or no, do not read this book if you don't have to. Now that I'm finished, I'm glad to be rid of it.
I read till the end hoping and praying that we would see his death.
Spoiler
I'll unhappily settle for his leg being torn and torqued, I guess.There wasn't even good romance! Sure, there was sex. Maybe even good sex, who knows? But Maria pretty easily left Jordan for her own safety. In a novel, a character can only SAY so much, but their actions show you their real motivations. She wanted to live. Marriage be damned. Plot be damned!
I can't believe this was recommended to me by a friend. We truly have differing tastes in what makes a good story. Historical relevancy or no, do not read this book if you don't have to. Now that I'm finished, I'm glad to be rid of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Misogyny, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, War, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Murder, Classism, Ableism, and Death
Minor: Infertility, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Confinement, Blood, Bullying, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Spoiler
Nobody...Nobody developed. Not at all. And the plot is what you would expect after reading, like, the first three chapters. Don't waste your time.orndal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Love the way Papa uses language, but the plot was so slow i did put the book down for a whole ass month qnd hqd to force myself to finish it. The second half is reaaaal good though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Infertility, and Rape
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexism
aeudaimonia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loved this book a lot more than I thought I would, especially since my only previous exposure to Hemingway was The Old Man and the Sea (which I have... not learned to love quite yet). The austere, matter-of-fact prose and narrative style that I found so boring in The Old Man serves this novel exceptionally well, helping to build tension and to immerse the reader in Robert Jordan's similarly matter-of-fact reflections. Although slow in some places, each scene contributes to the larger narrative--masterfully constructed and well-paced.
Given the time period--as well as the kinds of characters Hemingway portrays--expect some Misogyny Lite™, as well as Romaphobia and frequent use of the g*psy slur.
The only issue I take with the writing itself is Hemingway's habit of head hopping--changing points of view within the same chapter, briefly and without warning. Although the reflections of these new perspective characters are legitimately interesting and, in some cases, arguably indispensable to the whole, the sudden shifts occasionally pulled me out of the story. If this had been a regular aspect of the entire book, perhaps it wouldn't have been quite so jarring; given that the first half is almost entirely Jordan's perspective, however, I found the more frequent perspective changes in the second half incredibly off-putting.
That said, if you can fully immerse yourself in Jordan's perspective, you'll find it's a powerful one. Despite his characteristic dryness, he's by no means a bland protagonist. In fact, he might be one of my new favorite protagonists of all time--even though he doesn't experience a classic character arc. His relationship with Maria fell a little bit flat for me, but I can overlook it as a secondary aspect of the main storyline.
Sobbed like a baby the entire last chapter. 8/10 would recommend.
Given the time period--as well as the kinds of characters Hemingway portrays--expect some Misogyny Lite™, as well as Romaphobia and frequent use of the g*psy slur.
The only issue I take with the writing itself is Hemingway's habit of head hopping--changing points of view within the same chapter, briefly and without warning. Although the reflections of these new perspective characters are legitimately interesting and, in some cases, arguably indispensable to the whole, the sudden shifts occasionally pulled me out of the story. If this had been a regular aspect of the entire book, perhaps it wouldn't have been quite so jarring; given that the first half is almost entirely Jordan's perspective, however, I found the more frequent perspective changes in the second half incredibly off-putting.
That said, if you can fully immerse yourself in Jordan's perspective, you'll find it's a powerful one. Despite his characteristic dryness, he's by no means a bland protagonist. In fact, he might be one of my new favorite protagonists of all time--even though he doesn't experience a classic character arc. His relationship with Maria fell a little bit flat for me, but I can overlook it as a secondary aspect of the main storyline.
Sobbed like a baby the entire last chapter. 8/10 would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
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